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Instead of being on opposite sides on Sunday, as they have been for the past six seasons, Pro Bowl wide receivers Deebo Samuel and DK Metcalf almost ended up on the same team after the 2019 NFL draft.
The Seattle Seahawks intended to draft both receivers in the second round that year, and thought they had a deal to do so, league sources told ESPN on Saturday.
During the first round, the Seahawks traded the No. 30 pick to the New York Giants for Nos. 37, 132, and 142 with the idea that, the next night, they would move up again from No. 37 to No. 35 to select Samuel.
Shortly before the second round, Seattle had negotiated with the Las Vegas Raiders to move up to the 35th spot, with Samuel as a target.
But before that trade was finalized, the Raiders decided to send the 35th pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor. To this day, the Seahawks don’t know why the Raiders reneged on the deal, according to sources.
One pick later, at No. 36, the San Francisco 49ers selected Samuel. Once the Seahawks lost Samuel, they fell again, going from 37th to 47th, with 77th also on the way. At No. 47, Seattle selected Utah free safety Marquise Blair.
But the Seahawks’ big plan in the second round was to put Samuel near the top and Metcalf later. They ended up acquiring Metcalf when they traded down to the last pick of the round, No. 64 overall. Seattle traded third- and fourth-round picks to the New England Patriots for that selection.
So the Seahawks were able to land just one of the two wide receivers they targeted on a draft day that would have changed the NFC West and the NFL in a different way for years.
Each receiver returns Sunday from a series of adverse circumstances. A week ago, Samuel began yelling at 49ers kicker Jake Moody after he missed his third field goal of the day, only to then place his hand on long snapper Taybor Pepper’s throat before getting out of the situation. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the situation was handled and that Sunday’s game against the Seahawks will be Samuel’s first since the sideline incident.
Samuel is San Francisco’s third-leading receiver this season, with 468 yards on 29 receptions.
Metcalf, who missed Seattle’s last two games with a knee injury, returned to practice last week and is expected to play in San Francisco. The two-time Pro Bowler has 35 receptions for 568 yards (tied for the team lead) and three touchdowns in seven games this season.
